by Brea Essex
Hades stood before us in all his horrible glory. Contrary to what people (myself included) might think, he looked nothing like how I would have pictured Satan. I knew they weren’t the same, yet somehow, I had expected Hades to resemble my mind’s depiction of the fallen angel. I looked closely… no horns, no tail. Hades wasn’t exactly scary. He seemed as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. An immense feeling of power radiated off him in waves.
He addressed me directly: “What do you want, Necromancer?”
Zac responded before I could even open my mouth. “I’m going to cut to the chase, Hades. You seem like a guy who doesn’t like to screw around. You don’t want your time wasted, right? Lots of souls to watch over. We’re looking for your Helm. If we don’t get it, there’s going to be some serious hell to pay. And I mean literal Hell. This other guy is trying to raise a bunch of demon-infested zombies. You don’t want that, right? I’m assuming you like souls to stay where they belong, here with you. Well, demons need to stay where they belong too… or they need to be killed.”
Hades looked amused. “My Helm, is it?” Zac nodded, looking unsure at Hades’ expression. “Well, I’m afraid it is not here.”
“What?” Zac and I asked in unison. We hadn’t counted on that.
“Do you humans really think that I would keep my most powerful asset, the Helm of Darkness, where anyone could find it?”
“Where is it, then?” Zac asked.
“I’m afraid I cannot disclose its location. I’m not about to let some humans get a hold of it.”
“But what about what I just told you?” I could tell Zac was beginning to get exasperated, and I certainly couldn’t blame him. I was pretty pissed off myself. All of this, the journey to Greece, the descent into the Underworld… it was looking like it was for nothing. The Helm could be anywhere!
“I do not care for the affairs of humans,” Hades told us.
“But what about the demons and the zombies?” I asked.
“It is of no concern to me. Demons are not my domain. Human souls are. It is not as if the human souls are escaping. If they are in distress over their bodies being possessed, walking about the earth without them… well, so be it.”
“Don’t you care?” I asked.
Hades shrugged. It struck me as odd, that a god would use such a human gesture. In another situation, I might find it funny. “Not particularly. I will not take sides in this. I will not aid you, nor will I hinder you. The same will be said for this other human you speak of, who is trying to raise these demon-infested bodies: I will not take his side, nor will I work against him.”
“You won’t do anything? Either way?”
“Little Necromancer, you have shirked your studies. Hades is neutral. I, as well as my domain, am neither good nor evil. Since I have no interest in your fight, I will do nothing.”
I winced. I should have known. Yet, I really had thought that he would do something. “So, you won’t help us find your Helm? You won’t even give us any clues?” Hades shook his head. “And The Necrovorst, the other person who’s searching for your Helm? You won’t aid him either?”
Hades gave an annoyed-sounding sigh. “Yes. All that you said is true. Will you stand here and repeat my words all day?”
“No, no, of course not.” I backed away slightly. Hades might have been neutral, but I still didn’t want to piss him off. “I just wanted to be sure that I understood correctly.”
“Yes, you do.” He waved a hand nonchalantly in our general direction. “Now, leave. I am growing tired of the both of you.”
I reached forward and tugged at the sleeve of Zac’s shirt. “Come on, let’s go,” I hissed.
He refused to even turn and look at me. He stared at Hades, his eyes narrowed. “No. Not until he agrees to help us.”
“Zac, don’t piss him off,” I pleaded. “We’ve already pushed our luck with the gods. We can find it on our own.”
He shrugged me off, pulling his shirt out of my grasp. “I want to know why he’s refusing to help us.”
“Listen to your little girlfriend,” Hades warned.
I grabbed at Zac again, this time grasping his arm rather than trying his shirt. I yanked on him as hard as I could. He stumbled back a little.
“Rhiannon, what are you doing?” he asked, his voice low and intense.
“We seriously need to get out of here—now.” Hades’ face was beginning to twist into an angry expression. We didn’t have much time before he did something that might possibly hurt us. We might not make it out.
“I already told you—”
“And I’m telling you that we have to go.” I pulled on him harder, succeeding in leading him a few steps toward the corridor.
“Fine,” he agreed after a long pause. He glanced back at Hades. “Don’t think this is over.”
“Now, Zac.” Without another look at Hades, I plowed forward toward the hallway we had come from, dragging Zac unwillingly behind me.
“Why did you do that?” he asked once we were back at the gates.
I released his arm. “He was starting to look really mad. I didn’t want to risk him smiting us or something.”
He laughed, the tension evaporating from his face. “Smiting us? Are you serious?”
“Yes! And I don’t appreciate your laughter. Hades is probably dangerous. We shouldn’t be messing with him.”
“Now where are we going to look for the Helm?” Zac asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll find somewhere to look. The world’s a big place. We still might be able to locate it before The Necrovorst does. Besides, there are six other Relics we could also be looking for.”
“Don’t you think we should focus on one at a time?”
I started to walk toward the gate, Zac trailing behind me. “I think we should do some research, map things out. We need to find all the Relics. Obviously, we can’t go after all of them at the same time since they’re probably scattered all over the world. But don’t you think it would be good to have an approximation of their location?”
We passed through the gate once more without incident. Zac finally answered as we neared the River Styx: “Look how well that worked out for us this time. We’ve traipsed all over Greece for nothing.”
“It won’t be like this for all of them. Some of them might be easier to locate.”
“Most of them are thousands of years old—if not all of them. They could be anywhere. There’s no guarantee that they stayed in the country where they originated.”
“There’s no guarantee that they’ve been moved, either.”
With some effort, I called Charon’s ferry back over to the riverbank where we stood. Zac helped me in, and I sent it to the opposite shore. It was a little easier this time.
“Maybe we should just concentrate on finding your body,” I told him. “Once we’ve taken care of that, we can focus on finding the other Relics.”
He heaved a deep breath and jumped out of the boat, once more assisting me. “We might not have much time left to locate the Relics. Who knows if he’s found any, and if so, how many. Maybe those should take priority over my body.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, you deserve to have your body back. We can look for it while we research the locations of the Relics. We’re going to win this. I know we will.”
“And what about your sister? Did you still want to try and find her body?”
I grew quiet as we reached the tunnel that led toward the surface. “We’ll look for her, too. Maybe she’s not really dead. I’m not going to abandon her. I’d know if she was dead, right? She and I might not always get along, but she’s still my sister. And not only that—she’s my twin. She’s like the other half to my whole, even though we're so different. She’s more important to me than just about anything or anyone.”
“We’ll find her whether she's alive or dead, don’t worry,” Zac reassured me. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked suspiciousl
y. Was he going to insist that we put off the search for his body?
He gestured toward the path we needed to take toward the surface. “Whatever you do, don’t look back.”
Smiling, I said, “I promise.”
Fourteen
After we returned to LA, we spent quite a bit of time trying to locate another witches’ or necromancers’ library in the area to replace the one that had burned down. We were unsuccessful, and were running out of time, so we had to resort to looking on the Internet. There weren't any leads yet, and I was beginning to get disappointed.
That night, I had a dream. Zac and I stood outside a cave. At first, I thought we had returned to Greece and the entrance to Hades. Something about it was different, however.
I saw what could only be a demon guarding the entrance. He was huge, standing at least ten feet tall, with features that were grotesque and twisted. Four eyes were set in his face, and his nose was so flat that it looked like only two small slits. Huge, leathery wings flared out from his back. A long and serpentine neck held up his hideous head.
I turned away. I couldn’t look at him anymore. Turning to Zac, I asked, “Do you know where we are?”
He gave me no answer. “Zac? Do you know where we are?”
Silence.
It was then that I felt a familiar presence. It called to me, drew me in. “Ash?” I called softly.
I woke with a start. Zac’s faint snoring sounds came from beside me. Grabbing his shoulder, I shook him hard until he awoke.
He woke with a start, jolting upright and staring at me in the dark. His eyes were wide and he looked slightly frightened. “What happened?”
“I think I know where my sister is. She’s not dead.”
He jumped to his feet. Reaching down, he grasped my hand and hauled me upright. “Let’s go.” He wrapped his hands around the sides of my head, over my temples. He leaned down until our foreheads were touching. “Now, concentrate, Rhiannon. Tell me exactly what you saw.”
I described my dream to him, being careful not to leave out any details—including the demon guard at the entrance. When I was done, he nodded. “Believe it or not, I think I know the place you’re talking about.” Hooking his arm through my elbow, he snapped his fingers. The room we had been sleeping in vanished.
When the world righted itself, we stood in front of the cave I had seen in my dream. The same demon stood guard. Had my dream been in real time? Some sort of projection? That had to be impossible, since Zac was present in my dream, but he didn’t remember being there at all.
“How are we going to get past the guard?” I whispered as quietly as I could.
“He looks dumb,” Zac told me confidently. “We’ll try a distraction.”
He cast his gaze about on the ground. Locating a hefty looking rock, he picked it up. He tossed it up and down, using small movements, as if checking its weight. “This will do.” Reaching back with his right hand, he threw the rock as hard as he could.
I heard the rock clatter against the outside of the cave. The sound caught the guard’s attention, and he left his post to check the noise.
“Now’s our chance,” Zac told me. “Take my hand.” I complied quickly. “Now, run as fast as you can.”
He jolted forward before I could respond, dragging me along with him. My feet tangled, trying to keep up with him. My brain finally registered what was going on, and I picked up my pace.
Luckily, we darted past the demon guard before he returned from investigating the noise from the rock Zac had thrown. We ran inside, not stopping until we arrived in a large, opulent chamber.
The walls had been polished smooth. Fancy, expensive-looking furniture was scattered throughout the room. But I didn’t notice any of it, as my attention focused on my sister’s energy.
She appeared in a doorway opposite where we stood. Even with the shadows that fell across her face and form, I would still recognize her anywhere. “Aislinn?” I called, my voice shaking with emotion.
“Hello, dear sister,” she said, her voice echoing throughout the room.
“I’m so glad I found you. I can’t believe you’re still alive!” I said, about ready to begin weeping with relief.
“It won’t help you.”
“What do you mean?” She almost didn’t sound like herself. What was going on? “Ash, won’t you come here? Let’s go home.”
“No, Rhiannon. I belong here now.”
“No! You’re wrong. You belong at home with me, and with our parents. You’re coming with me now. Please, Ash, let me help you.”
“I don’t need help. Now leave, before you regret it.”
Her words shot through my heart like a knife. “Regret it? What are you talking about?”
Even from the distance at which we stood, I could see my sister’s eyes glittering like dark chunks of obsidian. Their formerly blue color had been completely swallowed by her pupils. “The Necrovorst will deal with you.”
As much as I wanted to pull an: “Oooh, I’m so scared! Look I’m shaking in my shoes” on her, the truth was that I was terrified. The Necrovorst? He had her? This was not good.
A tall form appeared in the doorway. “Hello, Rhiannon.”
It couldn’t be him! Sure enough, when he walked into the light, I saw the truth: It was Ty. “You’re The Necrovorst?”
“Took you long enough to figure out,” Ty said. “I thought for sure I dropped enough hints.” He stared at Zac, who was standing next to me. “Sorry you didn’t win this one ZachaRhi.”
“What do you mean?” Zac demanded.
“Haven’t you heard? I have the Helm of Darkness.”
Zac gave him a dark scowl. “No you don’t; we do.”
Great. I hoped that Ty didn’t actually have it. I interrupted; hoping Ty wouldn’t realize Zac was lying. “My sister is leaving with us.”
“I don’t think so,” Ty told us. “Aislinn is staying with me until I get what I want.”
“Typhon!” Ash exclaimed in a very unlike-Ash-sounding voice. “I want to stay here with you.”
“And you will, my sweet,” he soothed her.
“Always?” she whined.
“Always.” He shot me an evil grin. “So sorry, Rhiannon. It seems as though your sister wants to stay.”
“Only because you put her under some sort of spell.”
“Come here, Aislinn,” he ordered. She came obediently to his side, although she remained shrouded in shadows. “Have I put you under a spell?”
Her eyes glassed over. “Of course not, Typhon.”
He turned back to us. “You’re here just in time.”
“For what?”
He raised his eyebrows, as if in surprise. “Why, our marriage ceremony, of course! Aislinn certainly couldn’t be married without her sister present.”
I felt my heart plummet into my stomach. He was going to force my sister to marry him? “No,” I whispered, horrified.
“Aislinn, darling, step into the light and let your sister see you properly.”
She did as he asked. I gasped audibly as I saw her. She was heavy with child. “Oh please, not this,” I begged.
Ty stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her stomach. “Yes, this. So you see, she’s mine now. She’ll never be free of me.”
I reached out and shook her. “Ash! Come on. It’s me, Rhiannon. Let’s go home and get you some help.”
She turned her fogged-over eyes on me. They looked as empty as if she were dead. “I don’t know who you are. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Ty grinned. “I think you have your answer.”
There had to be something we could do. I looked at Zac, beseeching him to intervene. “There’s nothing I can do, Rhiannon. If she doesn’t marry him, she will die when she bears his child.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s the way of the Zayin. There’s something about our magick that changes a child. When a Zayin weds—if they marry outside the Zayin—their spouse adapts to their
magick. A non-Zayin woman can conceive a Zayin child, but she will die giving birth if they are not married.”
“But Ty isn’t Zayin!” I shrieked, pointing at him.
Zac placed his hand over mine and lowered it. He held fast to it. “I’m afraid he is.”
I felt my whole world tilt on its axis. “How do you know?”
“Do you remember when I told you that there were those that believed The Necrovorst was a corrupt Zayin?”
I nodded.
“The stories are true. Your sister must marry him, if you don’t want to lose her.”
I stared at the stranger who was once my twin; the one I shared everything with. She glared at me from lidded eyes, one hand caressing her full stomach protectively.
“I think I’ve already lost her.”
She didn’t flinch. A cruel smile twisted her lips, matching the one that already graced Ty’s mouth. “I’m glad you see it my way, sister dear,” Ty said.
He took Aislinn’s hand in his own and began to chant. I couldn’t understand what he said, only that it was an ugly language. I was afraid to ask Zac what was being said—if he even knew.
Ty’s voice rose and fell in an eerie, song-like cadence. Palpable darkness began to swirl, whipping Ash’s loose hair into a frenzy. It stood almost on end, making her look like a blonde bride of Frankenstein clone. She began to laugh and her voice swelled to match Typhon’s own.
Zac and I watched helplessly, stunned speechless by the display of what was going on before us. Wraiths loomed in the darkness, fighting to be freed. I didn’t think they could be freed without the Seven Relics, but they still frightened me.
I saw the darkness begin to seep into my twin as Ty cackled. Her body shook with the force of each wraith that took possession of her body. I knew that she was no longer there. She had been shunted into a nightmare that we may never have been able to drag her out of.
I collapsed to the floor sobbing my protest as my sister’s body lifted and began to spin slowly like some crazed children’s jewelry box ballerina. Ty still held on to one of her hands, anchoring her to the earth. I covered my face with my hands; I couldn’t bear to watch any more.